After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World

Her pharmacy skill was practiced often, and her progress was decent, primarily thanks to the Research Lab. There were so many projects that there would always be one or two teams requesting a certain potion from her, so she was well-practiced.

To actually upgrade though, she might need to do a few more things that she had not yet done.

What they were—she didn’t know yet.

Fortunately, the pharmacy department wasn’t just on her shoulders. Combined with the free sharing of knowledge within the center—as well as the accessible list of flora and fauna in the library—each Research Team pharmacist also grew a lot… and a lot of them had triggered the occupation!

Half of the original members of the pharmacy team had awakened as Pharmacists the past couple of months. That was a total of 6 people, which made the aborigines gape when they found out about it.

It created an era of pharmacists and it was wonderful. Teams created various new products like Improved Beast Repellant, Improved Beast Attractions, improved paralysis bombs, and the like.

After all, potions had limited effects the higher the level of the user—which included healing potions, by the way—so they had to continuously improve them as long as the population did the same.

It added pressure to her, the highest level Pharmacist so far, to catch up because her people—especially her husband—were only getting stronger and needed potions that’d match their levels.

At this time, she was in the Pharmacy Department and they were making as many helpful potions as they could to prepare for the war. They had been working on stockpiling for a few weeks even before their upgrade, and due to the urgency several other pharmacists had temporarily been reassigned to help out.

She did not expect an urgent message via aether letter to distract her, though.

It was from Oslo.

/Miss Althea! We are here. Can you head over to my Villa, please? As soon as possible./

She blinked, but immediately headed out, wondering what it was about. She remembered her letter, but she didn’t actually expect much. However, since they called her, then maybe that person must’ve sent a reply, no?

Hopefully, the letter would have something fruitful…

Anyway, Althea went on foot and took on a fair pace. She reached Oslo’s Villa area some minutes later and, interestingly, there were two Golds waiting patiently for their arrival.

”Oslo, Otto,” she said with a gentle smile, though she noticed they were both a bit pale, probably from the tedious travel. ”You should’ve rested a bit.”

At this, the two looked awkward. Oslo even scratched his neck.

”Well, you see, the old man’s a bit scary,” Otto said. ”He just can’t wait to meet you.”

Althea tilted her head in wonder. ”Old man? Your father?” she asked. She was about to check her Lord Panel when Otto answered her question.

”No, the alchemist.”

Her eyes widened. ”What?”

”We met you before you see him to warn you. He’s a bit eccentric, as most geniuses seemed to be—” Otto paused and looked at her. ”Your eccentricity is lovely, though.”

Althea: ”...”

”You see, he’s very bad with people. He’s anti-social and could be a bit hostile when annoyed. He seems fine now, as he seems interested in what your letter contained, but I can’t say I understand his moods yet.”

Althea’s eyes twitched, feeling a bit nervous. It had been a long time since she had felt this. At this, she nodded and looked at the brothers. ”Tell me more about him.”

Otto said everything that he knew. Althea was well aware of his best-known works even before they went back home. However, at the time, Otto didn’t talk about things related to his personality. After all, there was no need to—he didn’t know they’d meet at all!

”What type of person does he dislike?”

”I can’t say exactly what he hates, but I have the impression that he hated the majority of people and tolerated the rest.”

”...”

He proceeded to tell her that the only person close to him was his adoptive son, Gregor, who himself was a very powerful individual. He was level 60+, and he was even an elementalist. Even in cities, that was a proper powerhouse, but he willingly continued serving under the Alchemist.

The old man famously never took apprentices, as well. In fact, anyone who attempted and tried to bug him after the initial rejection were met with very, very, bad experiences.

For example, they’d find bumps on their skins, lose their hair for a year, and the like.

Althea nodded and prepared herself for a bashing. She wondered if he was misogynistic or if he was here to give her a mouthful of bad words.

Also, if he was so irksome, wouldn’t he get annoyed that she took too long to get here?

Althea was very worried. However, she calmed herself down. She had to believe she had something to offer him, just as she could learn things from him.

She reviewed the things she could offer, which was really just the Terran plants and tools, but that should be enough… right?

Probably?

In any case, they knew they couldn’t stall for so long and they did eventually decide to enter. How prepared could they get? Probably never!

The trio arrived to the living area. Olga and Obi stood up to greet her. The others also said polite greetings while they looked at the old man sitting still on the side.

There were actually quite a number of bottles next to him, and she recognized them as her pharmacy-level potions released in the market.

Gulp

Hoffen stood up and went to them. He looked at Althea, as if studying her—all with that grumpy expression on his face. For a long moment, the air felt a little stagnant.

”You are Althea? The pharmacist?”

”...Yes, Grand master Hoffen.”

The old man nodded. ”It’s not good to make your master wait so long, damned apprentice.”

Everyone gaped at him, wondering if they had heard that correctly.

It took a long minute before they actually absorbed what he said.

???

?!

!!